I’m not sure what Larian are trying to do with this character: he’s clearly a whiny, creepy rapist character with the way he creeps up on you in camp.
I understand wanting to include evil characters for variety, but I’m struggling to see how he fits into any party. A good player will boot him as soon as he tries to attack them and shows no remorse. An evil player will boot him for being a leech.
Does he get better later in the game to justify his existence?
His existence is justified by the fact that he was included in the game. Sorry you don’t like the character, you’re free to just leave him at the camp or murder him at the start of the game.
You described two extremes as examples of parties he wouldn’t fit into, but conveniently left out neutral groups. God forbid if we have nuance and humanity in our playthroughs by being more complicated than the hero or villain archetype. I have him in my party because he’s a rogue, and his ability to assassinate people and pick locks helps me focus on not doing those things.
It just seems so harsh to distill his character down to “creepy rapist”, especially without even scratching the surface on his backstory.
I would imagine a vampire would sneakily attempt to drink my blood at night. That’s kinda their whole thing. How that equates to being a rapist is beyond me.
I do not feel seen. :(
Some of us have fantasies of being fed on by vampires. Not every companion has to be suited to your tastes but as a morally questionable charlatan sneaking and stealing my way through the campaign Astarion is an absolute delight of a sidekick. He can feed on me all he wants. 😘
I’m playing a ‘good’ character and I really enjoy having him around. I trusted him and let him do his thing.
I would not call him an ‘evil’ character, a bit selfish but not to a harmful degree. He cares about your feeling and the feeling of others, he has gone out of his way for 200 years to -not- hurt anyone. He’s far from a lost cause even if you’re hardline ‘good’, your companionship is a powerful lesson to him.
I find it strange that so many people hate on Astarion, clearly a product of 200 years of torment, and adore Karlach, clearly a product of 20 years of torment. Why is it endearing for a former slave-knight to have anger issues and a lust for killing, but it’s unacceptable for a vampire thrall to be jaded and hungry? I see them both as victims expressing their damage in different ways. I wonder if Astarion were a female character if people would take more of a “i can fix her” attitude? Or maybe it’s just that people are more comfortable with violent streaks that are more in-your-face.
I think if you perceive Astarion as evil after getting to know him a bit, it says more about your lack of empathy than his. He’s pretty neutral, he’s just been through a lot of shit and gets hangry.
Why would an evil player boot him? He’s the only non-custom character with expertise in Sleight of Hand, his utility outweighs his cost. He’s a significant contributor to me becoming filthy rich. He doesn’t even demand a share of the loot. Blood is cheap.
He is a person I would avoid in real life most likely. However in a game where I can be many shades of grey and safely make bad decisions (like letting a vampire in my party because I see the victim in the predator) and can act like I have no ego, he is an extremely interesting character and if you understand his whole Story he is very well written.
That he is creepy, and behaving like a peace of shit is however definitely not untrue. I can appreciate that in an interestingz well written character however. He is pretty transparent however. Gale on the other hand I can stand less, since he resonates badly with me and I don’t trust him. I a still interested in his story though.
I’m playing as the dark urge. He is a pleasant fellow compared to me. I’m surprised everyone else stuck around with me.
Oh boy, wait until you play The Dark Urge, you will wish Astarion was your worst problem
I absolutely agree with you. He’s such a fucking creep
